mechitzah (thing)

Hebrew for "a partition", a mechitza is a typical component of the layout of any Orthodox Jewishsynogogue, serving to separate women from men, in order that the men not be turned on by the women when they're supposed to be thinking about God. Talmudic and post-Talmudic law stipulates the specifics of a kosher mechitza, such as its height, opacity, etc. A mechitza can take the form of a portable screen, a permanent wall, or, when the women are seating in a balcony, a railing. Or the women can be seated in a balcony and behind a wall. That is made of concrete.